With less than two weeks until the Cowboys' season opener, Trevon Diggs' status for Dallas' duel with the defending champions is still up in the air.
Diggs, who remains on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury, told ESPN's Todd Archer following the Cowboys' preseason finale that while he feels "way better" than he should feel, he doesn't know if he'll be ready for Week 1 against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"Maybe, maybe not," Diggs said.
The two-time Pro Bowl cornerback underwent season-ending knee surgery in December 2024 to repair cartilage issues and was slated to miss eight months.
Now, eight months is nearly up, and Diggs has not returned to the field.
The sixth-year CB's offseason has not been a fruitful one. Diggs' salary was reduced $500,000 by Dallas due to a de-escalator clause put into effect after he didn't meet a percentage mark for time rehabbing at the team facility.
Cowboys executive Stephen Jones said in July that both the player and the team were "paying a price" for Diggs' absence. Dallas signed the cornerback to a five-year, $97 million extension in 2023.
Both Diggs and Dallas would like to see him back on the field by Sept. 4 -- the CB said Friday that he's "itching" to return -- but the Cowboys still have big roster decisions to make. Diggs could start the season on the PUP list, forcing him out for at least the first four games. He could also start the season on the active roster with the possibility of returning between Weeks 1 and 4.
Regardless, Diggs expects to ramp up his activity ahead of the opener.
"I want to practice a lot," Diggs told ESPN. "I want to get as much practice as possible, get the game reps in, get the live reps in. I haven't practiced in a while, so I feel the practice will tell a lot more where I am."
When asked if the cornerback, 26, will have the final say on when he returns to game action, Diggs deferred to Cowboys brass.
"I think it's a mutual decision," Diggs said. "If they see something that I don't see or if I feel something that they don't know that I feel, it's going to be that. It's just about communicating and going out there and seeing what I can do."
If Diggs sits out the start of the campaign, Dallas is slated to start 2023 All-Pro DaRon Bland and offseason acquisition Kaiir Elam at CB.
Since his 11-interception All-Pro season in 2021, Diggs has started and played in 30 of a possible 51 regular-season games, recording 28 passes defensed and just six interceptions; he missed nearly the entire 2023 season with a torn ACL.
For Diggs to earn another extension in Dallas before his guaranteed money runs out in 2026, he'll need to return to form. The sooner the better -- though when that will be, Diggs still cannot say.
